ABSTRACT
Family-centered services represent a radical departure from the values and practices of the last 200 years in child welfare. The development of family-centered systems such as Idaho's provide considerable encouragement to others seeking new approaches to child welfare practice. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 mandated that agencies make "reasonable efforts" to prevent placement and reunify families as a condition of federal aid, and provided funds for subsidized adoptions. Counselling, concrete, and supportive services may also be required following termination for families to maintain gains achieved with family preservation services. A federally funded evaluation of the Maryland Intensive Family Services (IFS) program that compared IFS families with families who received traditional child protective services found lower rates of placement in the IFS program. Families receiving IFS services improved in terms of employment, housing, child protection, and support for the primary caregiver.
